Town Pump and Centaur Bar owner Sean Harrington is about to add another item to his resume: downtown taqueria owner.
Model D has learned that Harrington will open Hot Taco, an American/Mexican fusion fast casual restaurant, in the Iodent Building space on Park Ave. formerly inhabited by the HUGH pop-up retail shop. Hot Taco, which should debut by the end of summer, will feature tacos, burritos and coffee.
"It's kind of a simple taco stand," Harrington says. "It's a small space, so there will be limited sit down dining, kind of in the idea of a Korean noodle shop. There will be a little bar area, and more like lean-tos, where you can stand and grab a bite."
He also thinks offering coffee is a necessity.
"It's something the neighborhood needs," he says.
Check back
here for more information later this summer.
The UDetroit media cafe has opened its doors at 1427 Randolph in Harmonie Park. Owner Brian Pastoria says UDetroit, which has a full liquor license, will serve up coffee, food and drinks, while providing visitors with live web broadcasts of music, sports and local Detroit news.
With a soft opening last week, the new venture has started serving lunch and dinner. They'll soon start broadcasting live web TV and radio shows, with an emphasis on Detroit music -- "from John Lee Hooker to Eminem," Pastoria, a Detroit music history buff, says. "We really want to be hyper-local. Detroit music is just an incredible heritage."
Pastoria and his partners have owned the building for 13 years. He says he's excited to become part of Harmonie Park's regrowth. "We already have started working with social media, building a Detroit hub with all the positive news going on in the city, and in Michigan."
Find out more about UDetroit
here.
Also in food news, Gourmet Hot Dogs has opened at 2 John R., in the space formerly inhabited by Torya Blanchard's original Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes food stand. Rather than serving up chili-doused dogs, the Cleveland-style snacks vendor emphasizes the sausage, and features coleslaw as a topping, along with onions, mustard, pickles and relish. His special is the Polish Boy -- a Polish sausage topped with coleslaw. Cash only. Open Monday-Friday, 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out
Yelp for more information.
Writer: Ashley C. Woods
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